Taking a Poll on Tendering

[kcdancerkc]

I haven’t even put on here yet

that Januaey 2019 first time to Grand Cayman .

 

I know that this port is missed because of the seas

And seems to be one of the top three in which people cannot stop there

 

But if you had to miss this island because of waves

What Month Please:

 

Thanks!

[Virga]

I think it happened to us in November and September. We still haven't made it. Neither time was related to a named storm, if I recall correctly.

[firemanbobswife]

December

[Essiesmom]

February. But we didn't really miss...There was too much wind so we went around the other side and tendered into Spott's Bay. EM

[snakedoctor]

It's because of the winds. We've missed it probably 8 times but made it many more.

[Computer Nerd]

Scheduled 5 times, landed 5 times. Went all times of the year. You can never really tell what day is going to be a bad weather day.

[Pellaz]

It's primarily due to winds, and hard to predict a time of year or any particular months.

 

I didn't know until recently that ships don't anchor at Grand Cayman, they use their maneuvering thrusters in station-keeping mode...which explains why wind is a big factor.

[sandy toes]

Sept and Dec both were wind and not storm.They tried to do the reverse side of the island but could not...I don't recall the reason just that we missed it twice. Have been 5 times (once in each of those months along with Nov, Jan, Feb) with no problems at all.

Book and cross your fingers.

[Jacktommom]

We've been booked 1 time and successfully made it that time. We went in February and it was super clear and beautiful! No problems at all!

[kcdancerkc]

Okay, got it, it tis the wind!

 

Where does Carnival substitute it with?

 

Have been to thier private island in Bahamas when with HAL. It was good but the tender back to the ship was terrifying once upon a time in December :eek:

[brian310]

We were there last month, and made it in, but it was definitely a bit more exciting than really preferable.

[firemanbobswife]

Okay, got it, it tis the wind!

 

Where does Carnival substitute it with?

 

Have been to thier private island in Bahamas when with HAL. It was good but the tender back to the ship was terrifying once upon a time in December :eek:

 

Since they don't know typically until they arrive, there is no substitution. It turns into a sea day and you get your port fees refunded.

 

Our very first cruise we skipped GC. I felt bad for the couple that was supposed to get married there. Glad I picked Ocho Rios instead. It was December.

 

Another time in December we docked, but all the water excursions were canceled. We were bummed because we hauled all our dive gear off the ship.

 

The third time in December, we had to go around to the other side of the island and take busses to the downtown area. Waves were so high they were crashing up and over the seawalls.

[nybumpkin]

Of three times we missed once - Hurricane Dennis in July 2005. The other times we made it - one was February, the other July.

[cyntil8ing]

We have made it all five attempts. Once, we had to tender from the opposite side of the island.

 

We've missed Grand Turk because of winds and Freeport because of mechanical issues with the ship.

[evandbob]

After about 15 cruisest to Grand Cayman where I was always able to tender to go ashore, I might welcome the ship stopping in a different location.

 

In the past, ship's anchor chains had destroyed or damaged the reef structure that is in the primary tendering area.

[riffatsea]

This is not a "tendering" question/poll.

This is a question about Grand Cayman.

When the seas were too high in one area our ship just went to another part of the island to land the tenders. The tour companies all seemed to know the alternative location. This was at the end of October.

You cannot know ahead of time how the sea will behave!

[kc58ab]

I've successfully made it in early March.

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Forums mobile app

[absolutonrox]

We made the stop on a RCCL cruise last October, but some of the excursions were canceled due to winds creating rough seas. If I remember correctly, the canceled excursions were ones that went to Sting Ray City (and possibly others as well), which is apparently just in the middle of the ocean. RCCL refunded people on those excursions and had tents set up in port to book others if you so chose. I want to say that some of the private tours still did Sting Ray City, but I cannot say for sure because we ended up just walking around the island and doing a little shopping.

[Pellaz]

We went there in early October on Vista with no problems; tendered to the usual pier. We were a day ahead of that late-season hurricane, and Cozumel was quite windy as was the ride back.

[mek]

I had no idea this port was a problem. I've been there probably 20 times and have never missed it.

[scomar]

This is not a "tendering" question/poll.

This is a question about Grand Cayman.

When the seas were too high in one area our ship just went to another part of the island to land the tenders. The tour companies all seemed to know the alternative location. This was at the end of October.

You cannot know ahead of time how the sea will behave!

Well if you want to get technical, which it seems you like to do, at least on this post. This is polling people to see their experience with tendering to GC. So it is a tendering question, just about a specific port.

[vamartha]

I've never been onboard when GC was missed. Been there in December, October, September and June.

[shellster1]

I was on the NCL Jewel when it was brand-spankin' new. Good Morning America was broadcasting from the ship, so believe me, they tried so hard to get the tenders out. They were unsuccessful. I saw the size of the waves. SO CRAZY BIG!

Here's something worth mentioning: We came into "the area" second to Carnival. Somehow, the CCL ship was able to tender. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the winds must have been an issue for NCL. ?? I noticed the waves were crazy, so I don't blame NCL.

I still wonder til this day why we were not able to tender, while Carnival was? Was it was the ship's position, the ship size, etc..? I don't know. The crew was wonderful though, and although it was a bummer, it was still a fun day.